Tube-expander



- WWW/W (No Model.)

JLH. RICHARDS & E. HUBER.

TUBE EXPANDER. No; 376,485. Pat ted Jan. 17, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. RICHARDS AND EDWARD HUBER), OF MARION, OHIO.

TUBE-EXPANDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 376,485, dated January17, 1828.

Application filed August 16, 1887. Serial No. 247,095. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we," JAMES H. RICHARDS and EDWARD HUBER,ofMarion, inthe county of Marion and State of Ohio, have invented cer- 5 tain newand useful Improvements in Tube-Expanders; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains'tomake and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improvement in tube or pipe expanders, theobject being to provide a device of that type of simple form and fewparts, that are easily operated and it is removed from a tube or flue tobe placed in another one which it is necessary to operat upon. l

With these objects in view our invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and a novel combination of these parts, that will be fullydescribed in the following specification and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings making a part of.

A is a disk or round plate of metal, preferably steel. It is ofsufficient diameter to form a retaining-flange for the cylindrical steelrollers B B, &c., preferably made of steel and rendered true cylinderswith slightly-rounded free ends by turning them in a lathe. Theserollers are of suitable length and diameter to afford a proper bearingupon the interior surface of fines or tubes of boilers or other devicesin which tubes are expanded or set in a flue-sheet. The disk A has acentral perforation of proper diameter made through its body, and atspaced intervals notches a a, &c., having rounded bottoms, are formed inthe disk to intersect this central perforation. The notches a a arepreferably four in number, and are designed to afford bearings for thefour rollers B B, &c., which have their bodies made of less diameterwhere they enter these notches,

that remain connected as a compact tool when the journals thus formedbeing ofsuc-h a length and thick ness as to loosely fit the notchesinthe disk A and permit their shoulders to have a rocking contact with theside surfaces of this disk.

A round mandrel, C, is provided, which is ofsuch proportionate lengthand tapering form of body as to readily enter the center hole of thedisk A and be adapted to properly and regularly force the rollers B B,8w, against the inner surface of a flue or tube into which the device isplaced, the face of the flange having a bearing contact with the end ofthe fine or the fluesheet into which these tubes are being set orexpanded. V

The outer end of the mandrel O is enlarged to produce a hub or shortcylinder, D, which is perforated at two or more points to receive theend of a lever by which the expander is revolved, the shoulder of thishub preventing the mandrel from being forced through the flange A. Atthe opposite taper end of the mandrel .0 an enlargement, E, is formed,that is of such a diameter as to prevent the mandrel from being removedentirely out of the expandenhead, which consists of the rollers and diskthat have been described.

The enlarged end E of the mandrel G is preferably tapered inwardly ortoward the expander-head, the rollers of which it will bear upon whenthe head is moved toward this conical collar E. The conical collar E isan important.feature of this invention, as it is evident that theprovision of this enlarged end of the mandrel C will hold the parts ofthe device intact and prevent displacement and possible loss of theconnected parts of the expander-head when the tool is placed with otherimplements in a boiler-makers chest for transportation from one pointwhere work is to be performed to another, as this tool is speciallyintended to form part ofa boiler-makers outfit; and it is an obviousfact that the simplicity of its construction and provision made toprevent displacement of working parts constitute it an eminentlypractical tool for the work it is designed to perform.

The operation of the tool. is as follows: The mandrel is inserted in theflue or boiler-tube and the rollers of the expandinghead caused to bearon the inner surface of the tube, the disk bearing on the face of theflue-sheet. The mandrel is revolved with a lever that is inserted in theholes 0 cthat transversely perforate the hub I). The mandrel is pushedinwardly while it is being rotated. Its tapered body bearing on theinner surface of the rollers B B, 850., they will be made to haveforcible contact with the surface of the flue and stretch its body, soas to cause the tube to tightly fit the hole in the flue-sheet. In someinstances it is desirable to additionally secure the flue or tube in itsplace by expanding it at the inner edge of the flue-sheet to form aswell at that point in the tube, this swell or continuous groove forcingthe tube-wall against the inner edge of the flue-sheet to tighten thejoint and produce a head or shoulder,to prevent the dishing of the fluesheet and consequent loosening of the tines. In order to produce thegroove or head with this tube expander, it is only necessary to pull themandrel forcibly against rollers of the expander-head and rotate themandrel. This will make the steep inclined surface of the conical end Ebear against the free ends of the rollers B B and press the tube'surfaceto expand it into a shallow groove, thus enlarging the diameter of thetube immediately inside the fiue'sheet and producing the rib or swell,which is in some cases desired. This provision renders the tooluniversal in its application, as it may be used at will as a plainexpander orabeadingexpander to form a head or swell on theinner surfaceof the tube against the fluesheet, as has been explained.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a pipe-expander, the combination,with a flat disk centrallyperforated and provided with radial grooves to form seats forcylindrical rollers, of a set of rollers having shouldered journals thatfit the grooves, and a tapered cylindrical mandrel having a perforatedhead and a conical end forming a wedge for separating the free ends ofthe rollers, substantially as set forth.

2. In a pipe-expander,thecombination,with a flat disk perforatedcentrally and having four radial slots cut into the central hole, andfour cylindrical rollers having journals which fit the grooves of thedisk and collars that bear loosely on the sides of the disk, of atapered cylindrical mandrel having a cylindrical hub on one end, whichis perforated to receive a lever, and a conical end forming a wedge forseparating the free ends of the rollers, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES H. RICHARDS. EDWARD HUBER.

W'itnesses:

J. E. DAVIDS, T. SEARCH.

